With the new year now almost a month old comes the first big batch of new releases, and eight of them make this week’s Jazz On The Beach playlist. There’s a great version Gil Scott-Heron’s Home Is Where The Hatred Is from Billy Valentine and The Universal Truth recorded for Bob Thiele Jr’s newly relaunched Flying Dutchman label. Fred Hersch and esperanza spalding perform a spellbinding duet on the Gershwin standard But Not For Me from Alive At The Village Vanguard for Palmetto, and there’s Head Bedlam by Christian McBride’s New Jawn from their upcoming Pride for Mack Avenue, which starts out a little crazy before hitting a deep groove.
From the record collection there's Luis Gasca’s searing Street Dude from 1971’s For Those Who Chant (‘the missing Santana album’), Miles Davis’ five star Milestones from 1958 and Stanley Clarke’s Hello Jeff from 1975’s Journey To Love that features some incredible playing from Jeff Beck, one of the finest guitarists ever to grab that twine and make it whine.
There are some powerful cuts on this week’s Blues Beach playlist including Travis Wammack’s killer instrumental version of Lloyd Price’s Have You Ever Had The Blues and Walk With Me Jesus from The Mighty Jeremiahs featuring Jimmie Hall of Wet Willie and Greg Martin of the Kentucky Headhunters. There’s Geoff Muldaur & The Texas Sheiks’ wonderful version of Big Bill Broonzy’s All By Myself, and, as requested, more deep Southern soul from two of the finest - James Carr with Pouring Water On A Drowning Man and Eddie Hinton’s Everybody Needs Love.